I honestly don’t know how some Moms do it today. I only had one child to handle and at times my stress levels were off the chart. I see mothers today with two or more children trying to deal with the day to day operations of running their family and there are definite signs of stress.
A great deal of my stress came from being a single mom – having to act as mother, father and sometimes friend to my daughter who was an only child.
I know that being a mother can be one of the most difficult things you have ever done, but on the other hand, it will be one of the most rewarding jobs of your life. One of the biggest mistakes mothers often make is forgetting to take care of themselves because they're caught up in the madness that is life. It doesn't matter if you're a stay at home mom or you work outside the home, being a mother is stressful! And let’s not forget the single mom, that adds an entirely different type of stress to the equation.
Many moms are experiencing dangerous levels of stress, and they don't see any way around it.
Chronic stress is harmful to your body, mind and spirit. As a parent, you need to find positive ways to deal with the stress so you can be healthy for both your children and yourself. I ask my clients that are stressed with children, “if you don’t take care of mommy who will?”
With a little bit of planning, help, and effort, you can rid yourself of the stressors that could be threatening your health.
Stress Tips for Every Mother
- Plan ahead. The best thing you can do is to plan ahead. You'll find that the simple things in life that often cause the most stress can be managed or outright eliminated when you plan ahead.
- Prepare meals in advance and freeze them until you're ready to use them.
- Have everyone put out their clothes the night before and their shoes by the front door so getting the day started will be a breeze.
- Involve the kids. You can't do everything by yourself, so get your kids involved in getting things done. Any help that your kids are able to contribute will save you a lot of time and stress each day, plus it's teaching them the importance of responsibility and contributing to the family.
- Teach them age-appropriate tasks like cleaning their room, doing laundry, making the grocery list, planning meals, cooking, taking out the trash, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms, and so on.
- Know your limits. This is rule #1 in self-care. When a friend, co-worker, or family member asks something of you that you know you can't do, say no. It may not make the other person happy, but knowing your limits can help you from being overworked unnecessarily.
- If you don't respect your time, who else will?
- Don't be afraid to put yourself in time out. Many mothers feel like they just have to keep pushing forward when they are about to come unglued. Moms get stressed and often need to take a breather, just like kids!
- Instead of continuing to push forward when you are about to snap, walk into another room and just breathe deeply for a few minutes. While you are breathing, picture how you would like to respond to the situation and then remind yourself that it is important for you to follow through in a calm manner.
- Create a support system. When you have people that you can turn to, you'll be able to release stress in a positive way. Teaming up with other moms makes a great support system. When you need a bit of reinforcement, it helps to know you can pick up the phone and call in backup!
- Your support system might consist of family members and friends who are willing to listen to you vent or even help you around the house.
These are all very simple, yet effective, ways to deal with the stress of being a Super-Mom. These tips won't do away with stress altogether, but they'll help you manage it in a way that will allow you to get things done and enjoy your life and kids.
Your kids will only be small for a short time, and you don't want to waste these years in a stressed out daze. Instead, take advantage of the here and now by incorporating these stress management tips into your life. It's easier than you think! Let me know which ones helped you the most.
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